AFRICAN PHYSICAL

GEOGRAPHY

The Nile River

• Longest River in the World• White Nile and Blue Nile

meet in Sudan to form the Nile River

• Flows northward, emptying in the Mediterranean Sea

• Without the annual flooding in Egypt land would not be arable

The Nile

Lower Nile

Upper Nile

THE NILE RIVER

SUEZ CANAL• Located in Egypt• Divides the mainland

Egypt from the Sinai Peninsula

• Connects the Mediterranean Sea with Red Sea

• One third the distance that it was before

SUEZ CANAL

SAHARA DESERT• Sahara Desert is the

largest desert in the world

• Why1. On the Tropic of Cancer 2. Permanent high

pressure system3. Rain Shadow by Atlas

Mountains

SAHARA DESERT• There are two

main types of landscape in the Sahara– Erg – sand

dunes– Reg – gravel

covered plain

SAHEL• Semi-arid region

just south of the Sahara

• Dry grasslands with scattered trees

• Desertification is a growing problem– Growing of the desert

caused by climate changes and over grazing

SAVANNAS• Tropical grasslands with

scattered trees and shrubs• This is where many of the

African Safaris take place• Large populations of

wildlife • Serengeti – means

“endless plains”– Largest mammal migration and

game reserve

Tsetse Fly

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

• Bad – Carries a disease the make its victims (humans

and domesticated animal) have “Sleeping Sickness”

• Good – Wildlife are immune. Humans and livestock avoid some of these areas creating

a natural game preserve

CONGO RIVER BASIN

• Located near the equator in central and western Africa

• This is where the majority of Africa’s tropical rain forests are located

The Great Rift Valley

• Located in Eastern Africa• Largest Rift Valley in the

world• Caused by the diverging

Indian Tectonic Plate• Surrounding lakes and

rivers are very deep

Mount Kilimanjaro: • Africa’s highest mountain at 19,341 feet

• Located on the Equator in Tanzania near Kenya

• Formed by volcanic activity from the Great Rift Valley• Only year round snow

capped mountain in Africa– Known in Swahili as

“Shining Mountain”

Lake Victoria

• Located in the middle of the Great Rift Valley of Eastern Africa

• It is a shallow depression• Largest lake in Africa

Victoria Falls

• Forms a border between Zambia and Zimbabwe

• Largest waterfall in the world

Okavango Swamp/River

• Worlds largest inland river delta

• River is absorbed by the Kalahari Desert

• Large game reserve in the desert

Kalahari Desert

• Largest Desert in southern Africa

• Has many oasis which makes it habitable

• Oasis – vegetated areas in a desert caused by fresh water springs

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

• Southern mot point of Africa

• Converging currents from the Indian and Atlantic Oceans make waters dangerous for sailing but great wildlife

South African Penguins

Only Place in the world Great Whites breach

Africa Physical Geography

• Mediterranean Sea• Strait of Gibraltar• Suez Canal• Red Sea• Gulf of Aden• Indian Ocean• Atlantic Ocean• Congo River• Nile River• Lake Victoria

• Atlas Mountains• Ahaggar Mountains• Mount Kilimanjaro• Sahara Desert• Sahel• Great Rift Valley• Victoria Falls• Okavango River• Kalahari Desert• Cape of Good Hope